Tag: Alumni Spotlight

Posted on 15/03/202316/03/2023Categories LCS Learns

Danny McCubbin ’82 describes himself as a food campaigner, and he occupies a unique intersection of the culinary sector where art, business, media, social change and gastronomy meet. You may wonder what that means but it all makes sense when you look at the path he has taken. Start with his long-held belief that food can transform lives—starting with his own. It’s a fascinating journey that has seen him play a central role in building the restaurant, publishing, television and social media empire of one of the original and most renowned celebrity chefs, Jamie Oliver. At the same time, he has helped develop community and remedial social programs in the UK and Italy that have given hope and improved the lives of countless people, young and old. Born and raised near Brisbane on Australia’s Gold Coast, Danny came from a food-oriented family. “My mom was a great cook,” he says.…

Read moreDanny McCubbin ’82 | A Force For Change (Alumni in Food Businesses)

Posted on 8/03/202322/02/2023Categories LCS Learns

Running a bakery is a demanding life. The day starts early and it requires precision and attention to detail. It’s a science where measurements, temperature, food chemistry and biology matter. But it’s also an art, where creativity, colour, flavours and presentation perform psychological magic. So it may be an unexpected career for Jess (Arsenault) Thoem ’00, who studied fine arts as an undergrad, holds a Masters in art therapy and counselling from Concordia University and worked several years as a counsellor for the BC government in the northern BC town of Smithers. But it’s also a perfect fit. “The creativity is no different than in the fine arts,” says Jess. “It’s just a different medium. And people eat with their eyes.” Jess and her husband Graham Thoem started the Hard Winter Bakery in Peterborough, ON, in 2014. They met in art school in 2002 and then travelled together through Australia…

Read moreJess (Arsenault) Thoem ’00 | A Sense of Community (Alumni in Food Businesses)

Posted on 1/03/202322/02/2023Categories LCS Learns

One day, he was filming underwater with Great White sharks in Mexico for Discovery Channel’s Shark Week. Throw in a pandemic full stop and Cinematographer Ryan Lee soon reinvented himself as one of Toronto’s trendiest chocolate makers and founder of Chachalate in the exclusive category of bean-to-bar chocolate making. Always a chocolate lover, Ryan first began making his ethically sourced Chachalate (pronounced Cha-cha-lit) chocolate in his condo kitchen, but before long he was renting commercial space in a catering kitchen. Bean-to- bar production means that he does it all—roasting, grinding and tempering (a heating-cooling-heating process). There are only three others doing it in the city. The switch from video production to chocolate entrepreneur came from a combination of necessity, curiosity and, of course, passion. “Food was always a big part of our family,” he says. “At home, we hardly ever ate at restaurants and vacations were built around finding great…

Read moreRyan Lee ’12 | The Freedom to Explore (Alumni in Food Businesses)